World Cup of Darts 2026: Littler and Humphries Lead England 

Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will headline Team England at the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, with Gerwyn Price absent for Wales and Scotland making a key change as Cameron Menzies replaces Peter Wright.

World champion Luke Littler and world No 2 Luke Humphries will once again team up for 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts, with Team England entering as top seeds.

The duo, who were surprisingly knocked out by Germany in the second round in 2025, arrive in Frankfurt as the tournament favourites and will enter directly into the second round alongside Netherlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

England remain the headline act, combining the sport’s two highest-ranked players in a pairing that carries both expectation and pressure.

Wales rocked by Gerwyn Price absence

One of the biggest talking points comes from Wales, where former world champion Gerwyn Price is not part of the squad for a second time in three years.

Instead, Jonny Clayton teams up with Nick Kenny as Wales are seeded seventh.

Price recently cited ongoing health struggles during the Premier League season, but later clarified on social media that his absence was not solely down to medical reasons, adding further intrigue around his international future.

Scotland switch and defending champions

Scotland also make a notable change, with Cameron Menzies stepping in ahead of Peter Wright to partner Gary Anderson. The decision is based on combined Order of Merit rankings.

The Scots will be aiming for a far better run after a heavy 8-0 defeat to the Netherlands in the 2025 knockout stages.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland return as defending champions with Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney defending their title.

Netherlands, Germany and other contenders

The Netherlands remain one of the strongest threats, with Michael van Gerwen teaming up with rising star Gian van Veen.

Germany will look to thrive on home soil with Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko, while Belgium pair Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh aim to bounce back after a disappointing group exit last year.

Elsewhere, Republic of Ireland feature William O’Connor alongside former Northern Ireland representative Mickey Mansell, now competing under Irish qualification.

Format and seeding explained

The tournament features 36 nations split into 12 groups of three, with 12 seeded teams.

The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round, while seeds 5 to 16 enter the group stage. Only group winners progress to the knockout phase, increasing the margin for error.

Pairings are decided based on the combined Order of Merit ranking of each nation’s two players, ensuring the strongest individuals shape team seeding.

Full 2026 World Cup of Darts pairings:

Seeds 1-4 (second round entry)

England – Luke Littler, Luke Humphries
Netherlands – Gian Van Veen, Michael Van Gerwen
Northern Ireland – Josh Rock, Daryl Gurney
Scotland – Gary Anderson, Cameron Menzies

Seeds 5-16 (group stage)

Germany – Martin Schindler, Ricardo Pietreczko
Belgium – Mike De Decker, Dimitri Van den Bergh
Wales – Jonny Clayton, Nick Kenny
Republic of Ireland – William O’Connor, Mickey Mansell
Poland – Krzysztof Ratajski, Sebastian Bialecki
Sweden – Jeffrey de Graaf, Oskar Lukasiak
Australia – Damon Heta, Adam Leek
Czechia – Karel Sedlacek, Adam Gawlas
Austria – Mensur Suljovic, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Latvia – Madars Razma, Valters Melderis
Croatia – Boris Krcmar, Pero Ljubic
Finland – Jani Haavisto, Jonas Masalin

Non-seeded nations

Canada – Jim Long, David Cameron
China – Qingyu Zhan, Xiaochen Zong
Denmark – Andreas Toft Jorgensen, Jonas Graversen
France – Thibault Tricole, Nicolas Thuillier
Hong Kong – Man Lok Leung, Lok Yin Lee
Hungary – Patrik Kovacs, Pal Szekely
India – Nitin Kumar, Ankit Goenka
Italy – Michele Turretta, Riccardo Castelli
Japan – Motomu Sakai, Haruki Muramatsu
Lithuania – Darius Labanauskas, Mindaugas Barauskas
Mongolia – Altantulkhuur Myagmarsuren, Ganzorig Lkhagvasuren
New Zealand – Jonny Tata, Ben Robb
Norway – Cor Dekker, Kent Sivertsen
Philippines – Alexis Toylo, Paolo Nebrida
Portugal – Luis Camacho, Jose de Sousa
Singapore – Paul Lim, Phuay Wey Tan
Slovenia – Benjamin Pratnemer, Stefano Bozicek
South Africa – Graham Filby, Devon Petersen
Spain – Cristo Reyes, Jose Justicia
Switzerland – Stefan Bellmont, Marcel Walpen
Thailand – Sarayut Ouamumpa, Sowaris Rodman
Trinidad and Tobago – Joshua Balfour, James Walkin
Uganda – Patrick Ocheng, Juma Said
USA – Adam Sevada, Stowe Buntz